Nihilent, a technology company, has developed an emotion AI engine designed to detect and decode human behaviour. This innovative solution, called Emoscape, has diverse applications across healthcare, education, marketing, consumer research, sports, and corporate wellness programmes.
The emotion AI engine merges emotional science with advanced technology to understand and measure human emotions. LC Singh, founder of Nihilent said: “While AI may possess 100% intelligence, it lacks emotional intelligence and cannot recognise human emotions. Emoscape is an effort to humanise technology and bridge this gap.”
Significant research in this field has been conducted at MIT in the US. However, Singh claims that Emoscape is the first AI platform globally capable of detecting and interpreting emotions using the nine classical emotional frameworks from the Natyashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on human behaviour and performance. Nihilent has combined these concepts with machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a unique, culturally rooted system.
To develop the Emotion AI engine, Nihilent’s data scientists collaborated with theatre actors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and film professionals. Singh explains that the inspiration for this technology came from actors’ techniques—specifically how they embody characters and express emotions with authenticity.
Emoscape recognises nine core human emotions, known as Navarasa, and analyses emotional states and traits based on these nine states. The nine emotions include: Shringara (love and beauty), Hasya (laughter and joy), Karuna (compassion and sorrow), Raudra (anger and fury), Veera (heroism and courage), Bhayanaka (terror, fear, and anxiety), Bibhatsya (disgust and aversion), Adbutha (surprise, wonder, and amazement) and Shantha (peace and tranquillity).
The platform is entirely contactless and non-invasive, requiring only a camera to function—no wires, sensors, or manual input. Using 3D motion capture and advanced AI algorithms, it maps subtle body movements to identify emotional states with precision, offering emotional visibility in an increasingly digital world.
Nihilent has developed the first in-house application and plans to open the platform to external developers, fostering creativity and innovation across sectors.
Emoscape’s potential spans a wide range of use cases, including healthcare, education, sports coaching, marketing, corporate well-being, and self-improvement. It is particularly valuable for clinicians, educators, performance coaches, marketers, and leadership consultants—professionals who depend on emotional context to drive better decision-making.
In a recent pilot program at a major hospital in Pune, Emoscape was integrated into a corporate wellness package. An automobile company used the engine to analyse consumer responses to new products. In the sports arena, golf coaches employed Emoscape to enhance performance, while educators used it to help children overcome learning difficulties. The system can even detect a driver’s emotional state and advise against driving if it senses anger or emotional instability.
Dr. Mohan Agashe, a psychiatrist, actor, and academician, said: “It can be a valuable asset to modern science when applied correctly,” drawing from his dual perspectives of observing emotions as a psychiatrist and embodying them as an actor.
